Electrolytic apparatus



R. D. MERSHON.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. 1920.

i 433,736. Patented Oct. 31, 1922'.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1- @513 M whom W134 R. D. MERSHON.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27, 1920.

} 1,433,736. Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

R. D. MERSHON.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB 277 I920.

Patented Oct 31, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3- R. D. MERSHON.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 27. I920.

Patented Oct. 31,1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4.

I I IL; 5: I LI; y

tially unimpaired.

- Patented Oct. 31, 1922.

UNITED STATES RALPH D. MERSHON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ELECTROLYTIC APPARATUS.

Application filed Februarv 27, 1920. Serial No. 361,898.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH D. MnnsnoN, a citizen of the United. States of America, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrolytic A paratu's", of which the following is a full, 0 ear, and exact description.

In electrolytic apparatus such as condensers, rectifiers, and lightning arresters, the operation of the device depends upon the dielectric film which is formed upon the electrodes (usually composed of aluminum) when current is impressed thereon, and the continuance of high efficiency in the performance of the apparatus depends largely upon the preservation of the film substan Moreover, unchecked impairment of the film at any point results in more or less rapid corrosion, and ultimate destruction, of the underlying electrode, and it has been found that at the boundaries of areas where the film is not in contact with the electrolyte the film deteriorates, with accompanying loss of ethciency and corrosion of the electrode. Even the presence of a bubble of air or gas adherin to the submerged film is sufficient to permit the film and the electrode to be at tacked at the edge of the comparativelv small area covered by the bubble. Bubbles thus become an important factor in the operation of the apparatus, in addition to the fact that they increase the internal resistance. High temperature, due to losses in the apparatus, was formerly the chief cause of injury to the films, but this agency is effectually overcome by the use of heatresistant films, for example such as are produced by the method described in my prior Patent No. 1,012,889. Films so produced can easily withstand boiling temperature without material injury.

The present invention relates primarily to freeing the electrodes from adhering bubbles by causing a circulation or movement, more or less continuous, of the electrolyte relative to the electrodes, preferably immediately at the surfaces thereof, so that the adhering bubbles will be swept off by the moving liquid and can rise to or be carried to the surface. The chief object of the invention is to provide means for producinga movement or circulation of the electrolyte which will be substantially uniform throughout the electrodes so that the latter will be swept equally and thus be kept clear of bubbles without undue consumption of energy required to drive the liquid. The circulation of the electrolyte is also advantageous in that it prevents local impoverishment of the electrolyte and keeps the electrolyte in contact with the electrodes uniform in quality. To this and other ends the invention consists in the novel features herein described.

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of an electrolytic condenser, about on line 1-1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a horiontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a section similar to F ig. 2, show ing a modification in which several circulating systems are arranged side by side and working in parallel, so to speak.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section illustrating another form of the invention, about on line 3-3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line l of F 1g. 3. I

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of another form, about on line 6+6 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 'Z-'? of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail view in vertical section, of convenient mechanism for'mounting and driving the impeller by which the circulation'of the electrolyte is produced.

The tank or vessel 10 containing the electrolyte 11 (for example an aqueous solution of borax and boric acid) is divided into two compartments by a transverse partition 12 at one end, and in the larger compartment the active electrodes 13 (usuallv com posed of sheet aluminum and preferably of the type described in my Patent No. 1,826,- 134:) are supported in any convenient manner, say in the manner described in my copending application Serial No. 334,176. By preference they are enclosed in a box or frame indicated at 14;, open at top and bottom, which may be made of insulating material, or of aluminum lined with insulating material, as for example glass.

In the smaller compartment is a vertical conduit 15 the upper end of which is curved to the plane of the partition 12 above the latter while its lower end is bent in an arc of 90 to the plane of the partition below the same. in the conduit is an impeller 16, on a vertical shaft 17, which, when rotated at suitable speed in the proper direction, produces a continuous flow of the electrolyte down the conduit and up through the box or frame 1 1, as indicated by the arrows. The straight portion of the conduit down to a point immediately below the impeller 16 is circular in section, but from the latter point to the bottom of the straight portion it changes gradually to a rectangular or square section. In radial section the elbow 19 is constant in area and completely fills the space under the partition 12. In the elbow is a plurality of arc-shaped guides 20 conforming to the curvature of the elbow and terminating in horizontal planes at its outlet 18. Under the box 14 is a box 21, preferably made of aluminum, open at the top and also at the end where it ]oins the outlet of the conduit 15 under the partition 12. In the box 21 is a plurality of curved guides 22 to direct the moving electrolyte upward. These guides may, and preferably do, have their horizontal portions extended to the conduit outlet 18. The guides 20 and 22 may be the same in number and may register exactly, at the outlet 18, as indicated. Inasmuch as the shaft 17 decreases the cross sectional area of the conduit above the propeller, means are provided for making the effective area the same immediately below the impeller as above it, and then gradually increasing it to the full area of the conduit. For this purpose a device 23 is provided, consisting of a guide in the form of a wedge, circular at the top and of the same diameter as the shaft, with its sides inclined to form an edge at the bottom, of about the same length as the diameter of the circular top. As shown, the wedge or guide terminates preferably at or just above the lower end of the circular portion of the conduit. The guide is held by wings or vanes 24, secured to the sides of the conduit. These vanes may be bent at their top edges, as indicated, to aid in converting into vertical motion any circular motion imparted to the liquid by the rotation of the impeller. By the arrangement describedthe flow of the liquid will, by the time it reaches the top of the elbow 20, be distributed with substantial uniformity over'the entire rectangular cross section of. the conduit.

In the elbow 19 the guides 20, providing curved passages in which the direction of motion of the liquid is changed from vertical to horizontal, are intended to maintain the desired uniformity of flow against the tendency of centrifugal force to throw the liquid to the outer side of the elbow. Under the electrodes 13 the liquid must change asses its direction from horizontal to vertical. Here the purpose of the curved guides 22 is two=fold: first, to distribute the flow substantially uniformly; and scond, to transform a certain amount of the velocity head of the liquid into pressure head, since, in general, the velocity of flow through and between the electrodes 13 will be less than through the elbow, especially when electrodes with closely spaced folds as in my Patent No. 1,326,134, are used, thereby greatly increasing the frictional resistance to the flow of the liquid. Only a few guides areshown in the elbow and below the electrodes. More could be used with advantage, especially in the latter position. Preferably the guides in both places are not spaced uniformly but are arranged progressively closer together toward the points of most abrupt change of direction of the flowing liquid, as shown. In practise I prefer to shape and proportion the guides in such manner that the )assages provided thereby will act on the ienturi principle, so that the difference betweenthe velocity head in the elbow and the velocity head in the box 21 will be transformed into pressure head.

To accommodate a larger number of electrodes in the same tank, any necessary number of circulation conduits, impellers, etc, can be arranged side by side in the tank. as in Fig. 2*, which is a. horizontal settion on a plane (orresponding to that of Fig. 2.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the tank 10 is large enough to leave a space around the rack or box 14 on all sides. The electrolyte overflows the latter into the space mentioned. and passes downwardly therein, being thus brought into closer association with the walls of the tank. Heat liberated in the apparatus is thus conducted to the tank walls more rapidly for radiation into the surrounding air. The space mentioned is provided at the bottom with guides 26 'designed not only to maintain a uniformly distributed flow but also, by approximating an inverse of the V enturi principle, to transform the pressure head at the intake of the passages between the guides 26 into velocity head in the curved guides 27 alongside of the elbow at the bottom of conduit 15. Above the guides 27 another set of Venturi guides are provided, indicated at 28, which convert the velocity head (of the liquid issuing from guides 27) into pressure head. Between the conduit 15 and the partition 12 (which in the construction shown in Fig. 3 extends above the surface of the electrolyte 11) the curved passages provided by the guides 28 are divided by a central plate or partition 29. In the lower portion of Fig. 5 the flow of theliquid in directions perpendicular to the plane of the figure is indicated conventionally: the small circles with dots in the centers indicating the points of arrows moving toward the observer and the circles with cross indicating the rear or feathered ends of arrows moving away from the observer.

In the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the box 14, containing the electrodes, and the tank 10 in which the'box 14 is enclosed, are considerably Wider than the conduit 15 containing the impeller 16. Accordingly that part of the conduit which leads from the impeller to the elbow 19 not only changes to a rectangular section but also spreads laterally with smoothly curving walls so as to cover the entire top of the elbow. In the spreading or expanding portion is a plurality of curved guides 30, providing Venturi passages for transforming more or less of the relatively high velocity immediately below the impeller into pressure head at the elbow 19. As in Figs. 3. 4 and 5, the liquid overflowing the box 14 (containing the electrodes) passes down the sides of the tank all around the box and is led by the guides 26 to the smaller compartment of the tank, where the liquid rises and passes into the conduit 15. Guides such as indicated at 28 in Fig. 3 may be provided for the same purpose in the tank shown in Figs. 6 and 7 but are omitted from the latter figures to avoid confusion.

As before" stated, the guides 20, 22, '26 and 28 in the embodiments shown may perform two important functions: first, they may direct the flowing liquid in such manner as to give approximately a uniform flow, that is, in any cross section of the path of the liquid the velocity of flow is substantially uniform throughout such cross section; and second, they may provide Venturi passages which effect a substantial conversion of velocity head into pressure head, or vice versa. The latter function materially diminishes if not eliminates the tendency of the li uid to form eddy currents and the like. n other words, more of the energy expended by the impeller is utilized in propelling the liquid.

All metal parts in contact with the electrolyte should be of such kind as will not contaminate the electrolyte. For this reason all such parts are preferably made of aluminum, including the impeller 16 and the shaft 17. Convenient supporting and driving devices for the latter are shown in Fig. 8. As there shown, the upper end of the aluminum shaft 17 fits over and is pinned to a steel shaft 31 which rotates in an elongated bearing 32 depending from the bracket 33 mounted on the cover 34 of the tank. The steel pin 35 lies entirely inside of the shaft 17, and to prevent access of the electrolyte to the pin the hole in which the pin fits is closed at its ends by aluminum plugs 36. The bearing 32 extends down into the shaft 17, the upper portion of which is hollowed to form a shell 37. The latter-is provided with a flange 37 to form a cover for the upper end of an aluminum shield 38 of tubular form carried by the lid 34 and extending well into the electrolyte. At the top of the shaft or spindle 31 is a bevel gear 39 for driving the shaft, and around the hub of the gear is an oil reservoir 40 from which oil is led by a tube 41 to the inside of the shell 37. The outside of the tubular bearing 32 is provided with right hand threads 42 in contact with the rotating shell 37, which act to carry the oil positively to the bottom of the shell. Here the oil enters a passage 43 and flows to a small reservoir 44 around the spindle 31. The inner surface of the bearing 32 is provided with a left hand thread groove 45, which, by reason of the rotation of the spindle, serves to raise the oil from the res ervoir 44 to the reservoir 40 at the top of the spindle. In this way the bearing is effectively lubricated by a continuous circulation of oil without danger of the oil finding its way into the electrolyte. The upward thrust of the impeller is taken by a flat steel collar 46 fastened in any convenient manner to the shaft 17 at the bottom of the shell 37 below the tubular hear ing 32.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific constructions herein illustrated and described, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim:

1. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank, electrodes and electrolyte therein, means for propelling the electrolyte through the electrodes, and means for delivering the electrolyte to the electrodes at, a velocity which is substantially uniform throughout the cross section of the path at the point of such delivery.

2. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank, electrodes and electrolyte therein, means for propelling the electrolyte through the electrodes, and means suitably located in the path of the flowing electrolyte for transforming velocity head into pressure head.

3. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank, electrodes and an electrolyte therein, means for propelling the electrolyte through the electrodes, and a plurality of guides suitably located in the path of the electrolyte to direct the latter and providing passages adapted to transform velocity head into pressure head.

4. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte and divided into communicating compartments, electrodes arranged in one compartment and means in another and smaller compartment for circulating the electrolyte through such compartments, and means in the path of the elec- Cir lit

trolyte for transforming velocity head in the smaller compartment into pressure head in the larger 5. ln an electrolytic apparatus, a tanlr containing an electrolyte and a plurality of vertical electrodes to' receive electrolyte therefrom and deliver electrolyte thereto, means for propelling the electrolyte through the conduit, and means in the path of the electrolyte flowing to the electrodes for transforming velocity head into pressure head.-

6. ln an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte and a plurality of vertical electrodes, a vertical conduit adjacent to the electrodes to receive electrolyte therefrom at the top and deliver electrolyte thereto at the bottom, said conduit having at its lower end an elbow for changing the direction of flow from vertical to horizontal, means in the elbow for maintaining the flow substantially uniform therein, and means receiving electrolyte from the elbow and dirooting it to the electrodes with substantially uniform flow.

7. in an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte, a plurality of elec-',

trodes in the electrolyte, liquid-propelling means for circulating the electrolyte in the tank and through the electrodes, means tor maintaining a substantially uniform flow from said propelling means to the electrodes, and means for maintaining a substantially uniform flow from the electrodes to the propelling means.

8. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte, electrodes therein, spaced from the walls of the tank, means for propelling the liquid through the electrodes into'said space and thence hack to said propelling means, and means in the path of the electrolyte tor maintaining a substantially uniform flow from said propelling means to the electrodes and from said space to the propelling means.

9. ln an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte, a plurality of electrodes therein spaced from the walls of the tank, means for propelling the electrolyte through the electrodes into said space and thence hack to the propelling means, and means providing Venturi passages in the path of the electrolyte to and from the elec trodes to transform velocity head into pressure head and pressure head into velocity head at appropriate positions in said path.

10. ln an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte and a plurality of vertical electrodes, liquid-circulating means giving the electrolyte a horizontal movement below the electrodes with substantially uniform tlow, and curved-guides below the electrodes to direct the electrolyte vertically into the electrodes and maintain a substantially uniform flow thereto.

11. In an electrolytic apparatus, a tank containing an electrolyte. and a plurality of electrodes, a conduit adjacent to the electrodes to receive electrolyte at one end from the electrodes and deliver it at the other end, the latter portion of the conduit heing curved and having guides for maintaining a uniform flow, and curved guides providing curved passages to receive the electrolyte from the conduit and direct it with uniform tlow into the electrodes.

ln testimony whereol l hereunto afix my signature.

ltlllhPlll l). MERSHUN. 

